Tag: gender roles

Why Masculinity is Fragile: Understanding the Pressure on Men to “Be a Man”

by Zhenghao Lin
When the Chinese Ministry of Education announced that actions would be taken to cultivate students’ “masculinity” (MOE, 2021), some viewed it as the government’s clear and strong stance in supporting the “end of the effeminizing trend in society” (Xinhua, 2018). The plan, which aims to make students more “masculine” by moderately improving physical education teaching methods and formats, was seen as a response to growing concerns that the new generation of men might not be “masculine” enough to handle future responsibilities.

Conversations with People I Love: On Complex(ed) Mother-Daughter Relationships

by Alejandra Jiménez Máñez
‘Conversations with People I Love’ emerged as an idea, a proposition to use active listening as a method of feminist reflection and analysis. In times in which everything seems to be fast-paced, in which scrolling through 6-second-long videos is enough to keep us entertained and information is one click away, listening has become one of the hardest skills to master. Through this series of columns, my objective is to come to terms with my listening skills as part of my daily feminist practices and activism.

Mädchen in Uniform: A Masterful Portrayal of Female Solidarity against Oppression

by Airin Farahmand
If you ask a film enthusiast about the most prominent interwar German movies, you will most likely get a German expressionist movie as an answer. After all, in most scholarly books, German cinema is often remembered by Fritz Lang’s iconic movies such as The Metropolis, Nosferatu, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Barbie: a multifaceted 50-something-year-old 

by Marijke Naezer, translated by Mara Wemmenhove
In her 50 years of existence, Barbie has had many adventures and worked in dozens of professions. She set foot on the moon before Neil Armstrong ever did, had access to parties where movie stars could only dream of, and saw more of the world than any other average citizen. The possibilities of Barbie seem limitless: she is the woman who can do anything.

Caring for those who care: a call for action.

by Elna Schmidt Those who have already experienced a moment in their life where control slips through their fingers know the pain that comes with the realization that for life to be the same again, it needs to be static. It is not. There is no default to which life can return; it has changed. March 2020 marks for many the beginning of such a drastic change, causing life to be altered for good. However, for me, March 2020 also signifies immense pain and the beginning of a horrific journey.

On being young and gay in Europe: “It’s not yet ok as long as you don’t dare to be who you want to be”

by Catarina Vila Nova During the Summer months, Esther and Carmen will be riding their motorcycles across 15 European countries in search of what it means to be young and gay in Europe. They will be connecting with partners in film festivals and organizations that advocate for LGBTI+ rights to create a movie platform targeted to professors to get the conversation going in the classroom.

Sexually liberated or slutty? The harm of slut-shaming

By Hanna Eisen Are you a prude, a good girl, or a slut? It seems like these are the only categories women can fall into regarding their sexuality. While women learn from a young age that they have to act according to societal standards, none of the possible decisions seem to be good enough. One should be flirty, but not too sexy; being a virgin is something to be embarrassed about, but enjoying casual sex is shameful. It seems impossible to walk the fine line of being a “good girl”, especially if that does not fit with the (secret) desires one has.

Women, violence, and war: “It’s the unexpected”

by Catarina Vila Nova Western societies aspire to ideals of equality but it’s in moments of crisis that the reality of where we still are comes to the fore. When it comes to war, gender norms are almost as rooted as they’ve always been. Even with catchy stories of female soldiers in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine flooding our timelines, traditional gender roles still take hold.